A fund for the long term.

Advantages: tracks ftse uk index,low charges, spread risk , can be ISA'd
Disadvantages: covers all sectors, can miss out on sector over performance

...If you have read the weekend business sections of the papers you maybe forgiven for thinking every fund manager is after your hard earned cash. Your right, although ISA investment inflows have increased this year with the boyant markets, they are still well down on previous years, and with 4 (well nearly 3) days to go until the 2005/06 tax year end , they want your money. There is a vast and somewhat confusing array of funds available, each perporting to be the best investment choice. But take a closer look when choosing the fund for you. One very important thing to check is how much are they charging for investing your money? If you are not careful you could end up paying anything up 7 or 8% what with initial charges, management fees, bid/offer spread. So your fund would have to make 10% to make any investment worthwhile. So...

getscenic 02.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Fidelity Moneybuilder Index Fund

A real dog fund

Advantages: May recover in the long term
Disadvantages: Perpetual has been taken over by Invesco

...I must admit I had never heard of Perpetual 5 years ago. It was my independent financial adviser who brainwashed me in thinking Perpetual was the best thing since sliced bread. The literature from Perpetual is quite mind-blowing. An entire page devoted to the awards and prizes received by the company in the preceding 5 years. The rest of the literature was marketed superbly. You got the feeling that if you did not purchase a Perpetual fund you were missing out on something big. Anyway I put £500 in the Perpetual Asian Smaller Markets fund. I had read an article in the Financial Times that the Tiger economies in Southeast Asia were ready to take off and investors should not miss out. Well two months later the Tiger economies had a massive market crash. Soon my £500 was worth £256. It was great timing on my part. Instead of selling...

mrpaella 08.12.2000 (17.01.2001) · Read review
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Review of Perpetual Asian Smaller Markets Fund

Fund Manager on the Move?

Advantages: Superb historic performance.
Disadvantages: Potential change of manager. Volatile sector.

...I have recently heard that the manager of this fund, Tim Woolley, is leaving to set up his own fund management company. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information but I am aware that when something of this nature happens, it can have serious repercussions on performance. The Henderson Global Technology fund has enjoyed amazing success over an extended period, and much of this has to be down to the fund manager. The fund has achieved 530% growth in the last five years alone, without undue volatility (until this year). The fund stands at one-and-a-quarter billion pounds, which is smaller than Aberdeen Technology, which could explain why they've out-performed Aberdeen over that period. A change of fund manager is always worrying, so if you haven't invested in this fund yet but were thinking of doing, it may be worth waiting...

petehall 28.09.2000 · Read review
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Review of Henderson Global Technology Fund

A large fund investing in high yield securities

Advantages: The fund tends to outperform in flat and falling markets, high dividend yield of around 3%, good long term performance and good manager
Disadvantages: Large £2.6 billion in size makes fund less flexible, 5% initial charge, underperforms when growth stocks are fashionable

...I invested in this fund in september 1998 for my final PEP allowance before PEP's were abolished by the New Labour government. I had been tracking this fund before investing in it. At the time of investing the financial markets were in turmoil caused by the Asian financial crisis, the collapse of the large hedge fund Long Term Capital Management and currency devaluations in emerging markets. I think interest rates in the UK were also on the rise at the time. My strategy in buying this fund was to try and make a purchase close to the bottom of the UK market and get a good price. I didn't quite manage to make a purchase at the absolute bottom of the market but was close making a purchase at around 138p per unit. The fund pays a dividend yield that aims to be in excess of the yield on the FTSE All Share index. The objective of the fund...

gorvifal3 27.06.2001 · Read review
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Review of Perpetual High Income Fund

A Fund With A Prosperous Future

Advantages: Young, small and flexible. Superb but brief historic performance.
Disadvantages: Little movement in price for several months.

...Jupiter European Special Situations fund was set up less than two years ago and has already seen growth of 140%. Virtually all of that growth was made in the first year but what sets this fund apart from many others, is that it has held on to those gains through what has been one of the most volatile years for shares around the world. Even though the Euro has slipped in value by 30% or so, over the last year, the fund has maintained its value in Sterling terms. When the Euro recovers, as we are led to believe it will, this will be translated into a 30% gain. I bought into this one in January of this year and have no qualms whatsoever about holding. The fund size currently stands at about £140 million, which is miniscule for a European fund. This means it is flexible and can react much more quickly to changes in trends as there is...

petehall 29.11.2000 · Read review
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Review of Jupiter European Special Situations Fund

Universities and Funding

Advantages: Tricky one
Disadvantages: only the well off can go

...A students cost at University at present.is around £7000, this would just about cover most things, and that is without buying clothes and things that youngsters buy. This is a really hard one to write as it is very topical and everyone as different view on it and after writing about it for 2 hours realised I had gone off at an tangent. Now in todays environment universities depend on student funding and also government funding but it is not working and many courses are underfunded. I think that Universities should be run as small businesses. There are a few things that could help:- 1) Universities be more productive and bring in a bit of money for themselves, which some do at the moment. Universities could have a branch that would promote their students and earn a fee rather like Temping Agencies. By placing a student in a job in...

BUBBLES171 12.01.2004 · Read review
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Review of How should university education be funded?

Access funds for mature students

Advantages: Can provide large cash sums to help out
Disadvantages: Not easy to apply, not many people know what's available

...As a mature student, I found it hard to understand why grants had been scrapped and loans put into force. After all, who's likely to relish the idea of £15,000 of debt when they graduate and possibly move on into that grotty part-time job nobody warned them about? I was enticed back into education by a University which had previously been a polytechnic, and was offered lots of extra help by way of Access funds. As a single mum I got plenty of help - but did feel rather guilty as I saw other students struggling, while I could glibly pay my phone bill before the final demand. It was, however, hard to apply for these funds, and the forms were vaguely reminiscent of my Income Support days, when a degree in Nuclear Physics was required to get past page 1. Nevertheless, having got past that I found them to be extremely generous. It was...

lilith10 18.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Universites - Hardship/Access Funds

Run By Scoobydoo

Advantages: You can joke about them in your local
Disadvantages: money is too tight to mention

...Royal Bank of Scotland - Bank- Investment - Platinum Fund Titled: "Run By Scoobydoo" ----------------------------------- Yikes!!! Yes quite, this last year has been a bit too ghoulish for RBS, as they scarper away from their banking responsibilities into the sympathetic hands of Westminster, scared out of their skins; just like Scooby Doo. - This is where the similarities end, as usually Scooby gulps a Scooby snack and gets incredibly brave and 'saves' the day. Ironically, the head of the gang was called 'Fred' who was the sensible logical one and yet again this is where the similarities end. Platinum Fund - Platinum is a creator of quality investment funds. Platinum funds share certain characteristics which are capable of providing superior risk-adjusted results in both rising & falling markets. The main reason why any investor...

1st2thebar 23.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Royal Bank of Scotland Platinum Fund

We don't need no eduflation

Advantages: Students are curiously talented
Disadvantages: Assessment Mechanisms and reforms

...enrolled in a scheme that will guarantee jobs for these groups of people who have been jobless for more than a year. I assume this is catering for the impending 2010 election promise. The chances of this being effective is about as likely as them getting a job in a market whereby no employer wants a delinquent nomad; mincing off to the local Tesco's for a cheap alcohol fix. There are not enough merchant bank jobs in the city to cater for all these young misfits; getting paid by taxpayers hard earned pension funds . The only place left is surely re-training, in Universities, where there are yet more debt, laden down with late nights and cheap booze and cheaper skinny girls carrying a giant bunny called 'Bunsie' in her student bag. You understand why the youth unemployment has soured and that has nothing to do with the 'not so deep' recession now...

1st2thebar 02.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of How should university education be funded?

Expedia fund my holidays

Advantages: Could save you a fortune
Disadvantages: none

...Wow the title is a bit of a sweeping statement but then, I don't usually mince my words....in a way it is true that expedia fund my holidays because I save so much cash booking most of my itinerary through them it enables me to fund other aspects of my Holiday.. I first discovered www.Expedia.co.uk a couple of weeks ago, whilst on my continual search on the web for a reliable, dependable honest travel broker who can supply with with most if not all of my travel needs without screwing me to the wall in charges and extras.... For the last three years I have booked all my travel almost exlusively on the Internet, from rail travel down to London to Flights half way across the world, I have searched all corners looking for that elusive bargain and cheap deal...but so far ( taking into account my criteria) I think as far as Air...

Dalesman 06.05.2002 · Read review
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Review of Expedia.co.uk